In the News (Tue 18 Dec 18)

In music, a swung note or shuffle note is the rhythmic device in which the duration of the initial note in a pair is augmented and that of the second is diminished.

Composers sometimes indicate swing rhythms by marking their scores with an indication that pairs of eighth notes should be treated as a quarter and an eighth in a triplet bracket.

Prevalent "dotted rhythms" such as these in the rhythm section of dance bands in the mid 20th century are more accurately described as a "shuffle"; they are also an important feature of baroque dance and many other styles.

These octaves however must be understood as shuffle, thanks to the presence at the beginning of the score of the symbol that we spoke of above.

Using the previous score, substituting the rhythm and inserting, for example, the rhythm from example 2 in beat A7, the rhythm from example 3 in beat with D7 and the rhythm from example 4 in E7.

Your assignment will be to change the rhythms, playing for example, the beat in A7 with the rhythm from example 1, or the beat in E7 with the rhythm from example 2, etc. In the next page we will analyze the bichords and the use of the shuffle accompaniment.

The shufflerhythm, heard in so many blues and jazz tunes, is based on a triplet feel which you should have no trouble accomplishing if you have been practicing the triplets on the Exercises page.

The next rhythm falls well outside of the latin category but features in so much pop music these days that it will be useful to drummers viewing the page and so I have included them here.

It resurfaced in the Indie rhythms of the eighties and is nowadays common in Drum n' Bass.

www.littlephil.free-online.co.uk /drumsother.htm (893 words)

The Annotated "Chinatown Shuffle"(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22)

"Shuffle (1) A dance step of indefinite southern fl-American origin, perhaps dating from the 18th century, in which the feet are moved rhythmically acorss the floor without being lifted.

The alternation of long and short syllables (shuf-fle, shuf-fle,...) evokes its distinguishing rhythm, a subdivision of the beat into uneve triplets which is more specific than the fundamental swing or boogie-woogie rhythm only in that it is usually played legato and at a relaxed tempo.

Analyzing bass-line shuffle grooves, sliding harmony figures, and a load of great riffs that are at the heart of her powerful accompaniments.

The most important element of his presentation, however, is hands-on guitar playing; hot licks, handy chords and roots rhythms are taught in the context of his favorite songs and arrangements and geared to players of all levels of experience.

Rhythm, groove, technique, etc. combined with rhyme-scheming, structure (or not), idea mining, and general tricks of the trade will be part of this study on how to say what you want to say and sound good doing it.

The A section has the famous Charleston rhythm whereas the B section is in a walking 4 for contrast.Ideal Tempo Range: 220 -270*Charleston,Bill Bailey,Sweet Georgia Brown @CHET.STY\Chet Atkins Style^This is a "boom chick" guitar style in the style of Chet Atkins/Merle Travis/Lenny Breau.Muteed guitar ('boom") and electric ("chick").

Jordan (who had inherited a band in 1938) shrank down the size of swing's orchestras, emphasized the dance rhythm (the "shuffle"), sharpened the sax and trumpet counterpoint, and sang the hardship of fl life in a detached (almost ironic) tone.

Another Mississippi refugee, vocalist J.B. Lenoir, was the first to aim blues music at contemporary political events, for example in the scathing Korea Blues (1951) and Eisenhower Blues (1955), and to indulge in histrionic behavior on stage (basically the progenitor of both Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger).

The boogie piano rhythm and the shrill sax solo were frequently the only elements that stood out, besides the vocals.

In playing the first shuffle feel we want to be in two places at one time.

That is.......we want to play a rhythm with the drummer that feels like we are playing a straight quarter note feel while at the same time playing off beat eighth notes that provide syncopation and counterpoint.

Look at Example #5-1 and you will see the first part of the shuffle feel which is the straight quarter notes.

Now let’s look at the three shuffles used in the key of A. Now, if you remember, we defined the shuffle as being the root note of the chord in conjunction with the fifth and sixth note of that same chord.

The A chord shuffle is the A note along with the E (fifth) and the F# (sixth).

Likewise the D shuffle consists of the D note being played with the A and B notes and the E shuffle being played with the B and the C#.

www.guitarnoise.com /article.php?id=49 (1489 words)

Blues guitar sheet music from GuitarGalleryMusic.com(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22)

Rhythm and lead guitar in the styles of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Albert Collins.

He discusses his rhythm style showing chordal licks, double stops, and chord structure, and breaks down many of his best riffs and solos, from his earlier Jane's Addiction days, as well as recent Red Hot Chili Peppers recordings.

An inspiring teacher and awesome performer, he is as direct in his explanations as he is in his playing, putting his heart into each song demo (including shuffle, slow blues, funk blues, and minor blues) and interjecting humorous anecdotes and practical playing tips for guitarists at all levels.

A master of minor blues and up-tempo shuffles, he demonstrates how to build and pace a solo, delivering a spellbinding performance in the process.

He covers boogie, shuffle and riff-driven patterns, as well as major, minor and jazzy chord progressions.

To practice with the study CD, cue up an 8-beat example, listen for the beat, then find the regular rhythm that moves twice as fast as the beat -- rhythm guitar and percussive instruments are good places to listen for it.

Then find the regular rhythm that moves four times as fast as the beat -- choked rhythm guitar and percussion instruments are good places to listen for it.

Listen for the clave rhythm -- or a subtle variant of it -- in the three RandB examples, then tap/clap along with the pattern as you listen to the recordings.

Remember that the rhythmic division is swing: even if in the score the octaves are written normally, they must be intended as shuffle.

which indicates the obligation to play the octaves with the classical cadence of shufflerhythm, which some call "jazz feel octaves" (when inherent to jazz), and others call "shuffle" (when inherent to blues).

Yes, there is a technique that is used when applying the shuffle bowing to songs that appear to have a different note for each stroke.

When applying the shuffle bowing technique to alternating eighth notes (or sixteenth notes), you'll want to slur two notes together on the long stroke and play the other two notes with single bow strokes.

For shuffle bowing technique, I've found that it can be accomplished effectively using mostly all forearm motion...however, for a looser feel, the loose wrist motion helps...many violinists do use a stiff arm approach; most fiddlers seem to have a looser feel with a very loose wrist motion.